Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Today, I’m writing about communication, or the lack thereof.  Going back to my initial comments at the opening of this blog, I mentioned that lack of leadership and lack of communication were the root cause for most of our issues.  Yesterday, I wrote on leadership, today on communication.

The HOA has no regularly scheduled dispatch of information to the homeowners.  Board meeting minutes are not published for months, which lead me to question whether board meetings actually take place.  We have no idea what decisions are being made, what infractions are being investigated, where our money is being spent, and who hasn't paid their dues.  A few years ago I suggested a monthly newsletter to be published via our website, not only to keep the membership informed, but to also keep the officers on point for bringing good ideas to fruition.  A very cursory effort was made, but never materialized.

Even the online message board is ineffective, that is unless you want to buy or sell something.  If you happen to post a complaint, expect it to be deleted.  Every message is scrutinized before it gets posted.  If the message has a negative slant, well you guessed it; it gets deleted.  Is that what you expect from your HOA?  Does this demonstrate good leadership quality?  Of course not!  In fact this scrutiny not only lacks leadership, but their action is appalling. I resent being treated like a second-class citizen by a couple of paranoid caretakers.  “Can you feel me?” 

What about the message board at the exit of the subdivision?  How long has the current message been posted? What about the ones before; how long were they posted?  We paid a reasonable sum of money to install, and maintain that message board.  What purpose does it serve if the messages change only once a quarter?

Just recently I sent a message to the President, with pictures, asking whether he was aware of the damage to the railing on the front porch of the clubhouse.  His response was short; yes!  So I assumed that all was taken care of, i.e., a police report was filed and, at least, the board members were made aware.  Now, there is a cloak of suspicion whether the police was called, and whether the two board members were informed. I happen to believe that nothing was done; no communication was initiated. 

I realize that some homeowners are really not interested in HOA activity.  And that’s OK.  But some of us are truly concern what happens in the neighborhood.  We worry about whether the investment we made will continue to build equity.  In the current economy, with so much uncertainty, I personally worry about making the right decisions to stay ahead of that snowball that’s right behind me. Taking care of business at home is a high priority, and one that I can control.  I grimace every time I see a neighbor falling short on his responsibility to maintain his property.  I grimace every time I see HOA officers falling short on their responsibilities to do the right thing for the homeowners.

Perhaps, if we bind together and take a participatory role in the HOA, we can make this a better place to enjoy.

Please post your comments. 

Geaux Tigers

Dan